With calisthenics gaining popularity over the years, many youngsters would opt for the outdoor gym to help them gain an amazing physique. While many beginners are still contemplating between calisthenics or bodybuilding, it has always come to a single and simple conclusion – calisthenics will have better endurance while bodybuilding is just… for show.
To us, both calisthenics and bodybuilding are equally good (better than becoming a couch potato). So, let’s look at the difference between the benefits of calisthenics and bodybuilding before you make the final decision.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CALISTHENICS AND WEIGHTS
According to noobgains.com, both calisthenics and weight training are forms of strength training. Calisthenics is exercises that use just your body weight, while weight training uses external resistance.
With calisthenics, you generally don’t need any equipment or devices with the exception of a pull-up bar that is cheap and easy to procure, install, and use.
Examples of calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, are:
– Push-ups
– Crunches
– Dips
– Chin-ups
– Pull-ups
Examples of weight training exercises are:
– bench presses
– bicep curls
– deadlifts
– overhead presses
It should also be noted that some calisthenics exercises that you can’t simulate with weight lifting, and vice versa.
SIX BENEFITS OF CALISTHENICS
- i) Since calisthenics involves lifting, lunging, pulling, and pushing movements with little or no equipment, one of the best things about this form of exercise is that you can work out anywhere. You don’t have to go to the gym to get your workout. Instead, you can easily work up a sweat at home, at the park, or literally anywhere.
- ii) When you are traveling for work or play, you can easily perform many of the movements in a hotel room or at a campsite, or even at a place with limited space.
- iii) Getting started with calisthenics is also extremely easy. No monthly gym membership or expensive equipment. You can start by doing some push-ups, planks, and sit-ups.
- iv) When it comes to physical endurance, calisthenics are great because these movements aren’t about exercising to the point of exhaustion. Instead, the focus is on building your core and strength. Holding a plank for two minutes will do more for your endurance than lifting weights.
- v) Calisthenics help you strengthen your entire body, and they also contribute to developing physical coordination and movement control. These exercises will engage your motor reflexes of the brain, and ultimately, that will boost your functional strength.
- vi) Calisthenics require more If your goal is to improve your balance, posture, and stability, calisthenics can access these kinds of muscles more efficiently than weight training.
TWO REASONS AGAINST CALISTHENICS
- i) It is more difficult to train specific muscle groups instead of your body as a whole. Isolate training becomes a challenge since calisthenic movements require that you work your body as a unit.
- ii) Calisthenics build mass slowly. Most guys who train with calisthenics have a fairly lean and limber look. This is because calisthenic movements are somewhat difficult for creating a mass-building program. This is often better suited for weight programs.
FOUR BENEFITS OF WEIGHT TRAINING
- i) If you want to strengthen your muscles quickly and dramatically, weight lifting is by far your best option. There are so many exercises and machines created around the idea of training with weights that building muscle using this method has become simpler over time.
- ii) It does not matter if you are using free weights or weight machines, you will see amazing results because you can change the resistance and train specific muscles. Unlike calisthenics, muscle isolation and varying your training resistance is made much easier.
- iii) It’s easier to track your progress. What’s good about weight training is resistance and weights are categorized and tracked by actual numbers, unlike calisthenics. Many times with calisthenics, the only progress indicators you have are volume and body measurements.
- iv) It’s easier to follow progressive overload. Progressive overload is the concept of incrementally increasing the resistance on a muscle so that it must continue to adapt and grow over time. Weight training makes following this concept easy since you can increase resistance by almost any increment.
FIVE REASONS AGAINST WEIGHT TRAINING
- i) Financial investment. A gym membership or home gym equipment will be your investment.
- ii) Multiple types of equipment instead of a single bar. You will need the right equipment for every training or movement and the list can be endless.
- iii) Higher risk of injury when using weights compared to calisthenics. Heavyweights can affect your joints and your back, especially when you aren’t using proper form.
- iv) Weightlifting requires more discipline. Repetitive routines can sometimes make the training dull.
- v) Requires a lot of knowledge about exercises and routines. You will also need to know when to train certain muscle groups and when to rest. Plus, your diet and macros will have a significant effect on your results.
SO, WHICH IS BETTER? CALISTHENICS OR WEIGHT TRAINING?
There is never a right or wrong answer to this. In the end, you will need to identify your objectives and ultimate goals. You may embark on both journeys before you make a final decision.
But, regardless of whether it is calisthenics or bodybuilding, you will still need your MMX products to get you through your training and recover. Check out all our MMX products now. Click here: https://nutritionpro.my/brand/muscle-metabolix/
Conduct more research, experience both types of workouts, and that is where you can make a better decision as to which type of training suits you better. Good luck!
Article reference link: https://noobgains.com/calisthenics-vs-weights/